Don't forget to check out http://auda.org.au/domain-news/ for today's edition of the complete domain news, including an RSS feed - already online!And see my website - http://technewsreview.com.au/ - for daily updates in between postings.**********************************************************
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Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
http://www.ntu.edu.sg/sci/sirc/**********************************************************
Chinese Websites Punished For Publishing Porn
http://www.chinatechnews.com/2007/08/16/5765-chinese-websites-punished-for-publishing-porn/China Announces Media Crackdown
http://nytimes.com/2007/08/15/world/asia/15cnd-china.htmlCompanies and party aides cast censorious eye over Wikipedia
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/15/wikipedia.corporateaccountabilitynz: Majority of youth use Internet without conflict [news release]
http://scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0708/S00046.htmus: National Cyber Security Alliance Calls on
States and School Districts to Teach Internet Safety and Security in Schools [news release]
http://staysafeonline.org/news/teachinternetsafetyinschools.htmlSecond Life's Real-World Problems
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1651500,00.htmluk: Mobile operators see 10 times more potential in social networking
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/14/socialnetworking.newsMillions of Facebook users ?leave themselves open to identity theft?
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2253720.ecehttp://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4167082a28.htmlInternet 'the new Afghanistan': NY police chief [Reuters]
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10458058http://stuff.co.nz/4166873a28.htmlIT security: Too big for government
http://www.gcn.com/print/26_21/44843-1.htmlnz: CONFERENCE - ?Privacy and Technology in the 21st Century? [Wellington: 28
August]
http://privacy.org.nz/library/privacy-and-technology-in-the-21st-centuryhttp://scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00214.htm [news release]Always online? Beware of Internet addiction disorder
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1186557410283&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFullHalf of Web time spent viewing content: study (Reuters)
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22242261-15306,00.htmlhttp://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN1335166120070813Tiny wind engines cool computers
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6946042.stmSpam spike from Chinese domains
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62030770,00.htmin: IT classes raise the status of Untouchables
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2246476.eceus: YouTube Seeks Truthy Moment of Zen With Stewart, Colbert Deps
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/58832.htmlhttp://www.salon.com/tech/machinist/blog/2007/08/14/colbert_youtube/index.htmliPlayer Politics: Behind the ISPs vs BBC row
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/14/bbc_iplayer_isp_analysis/P2P: Boon, Boondoggle, or Bandwidth Hog?
http://www.circleid.com/posts/070815_p2p_boon_boondoggle_bandwidth/Singapore court orders Internet company to reveal customers who illegally download videos
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/15/1186857523861.htmlRussian Judge Tosses AllofMP3 Music Piracy Case Overboard
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/58846.htmlhttp://iht.com/articles/2007/08/15/business/mp3.phpGoing green a ?social responsibility? beyond hardware recycling
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/315792B807BB5272CC257338006D6A3Cus: Google wins first battle for open wireless spectrum
http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2148167,00.html**********************
CENSORSHIP
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Chinese Websites Punished For Publishing Porn
As a result of publishing pornographic novels, 348 websites in China have either been punished or will soon be punished.
http://www.chinatechnews.com/2007/08/16/5765-chinese-websites-punished-for-publishing-porn/China Announces Media Crackdown
China disclosed a crackdown on ?false news reports, unauthorized publications and bogus journalists,? two months before the opening of the politically sensitive Communist Party congress, which is held once every five years.
http://nytimes.com/2007/08/15/world/asia/15cnd-china.htmlng: FG Steps Up War Against Cyber Crimes
Worried by the increasing rate of hi-tech cyber crimes in the country, the Nigerian Communications Commission has commenced registration of all cyber cafe operators all over the federation. The move is aimed at effectively monitoring the operators with a view to checkmating cyber crimes which are giving the nation negative image abroad.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200708130726.htmlke: ICT Bill Also Seeks to Limit Freedom of Press
The Government is now seeking to muzzle the media by, among other ways, empowering the Internal Security minister to order invasion of broadcasting stations. This would be through the enactment of the Kenya Communications (Amendment) Bill 2007
or the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Bill.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200708130615.htmlCompanies and party aides cast censorious eye over Wikipedia
Editing your own entry on Wikipedia is usually the province of vain celebrities keen for some good PR. But a new website has uncovered dozens of companies that have been editing the site in order to improve their public image.
The Wikipedia Scanner, which trawls the backwaters of the popular online encyclopaedia, has unearthed a catalogue of organisations massaging entries, including the CIA and the Labour party.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/15/wikipedia.corporateaccountabilityhttp://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/16/2006343.htmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6947532.stmhttp://www.wired.com/politics/onlinerights/news/2007/08/wiki_trackerhttp://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/15/1186857599410.htmlau: Men's mag in more strife over topless shots
A men's magazine in hot water over its "boob job" contest is now being investigated for posting shots of topless women on an unrestricted website. The Federal Government has reported Zoo Weekly to the media authority for displaying raunchy photos of women entering its controversial
competition to win a $10,000 breast enlargement.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,22249952-5005941,00.htmlhttp://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/15/1186857567748.html************************************************
CHILD PROTECTION, FILTERING & CONTENT REGULATION
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au: NetAlert not a silver bullet
Internet experts warn that the federal Government's $84.8 million package of online security measures is no "silver bullet" and parents must still be vigilant about their children's internet use.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22239389-5013040,00.htmlau: Web porn blocking sparks war of words
The government and its Labor rivals have been indulging in a slanging match over the Coalition's plans to introduce Internet porn blocking software.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/software/soa/Web-porn-blocking-sparks-war-of-words-/0,130061733,339281151,00.htmAustralia's porn-blocking plan unveiled
Australian Prime Minister John Howard has announced a plan by the country's Coalition political parties to clean up Internet porn, in an effort to woo Christian voters.
http://news.com.com/2100-7348_3-6202226.htmlhttp://news.zdnet.com/2100-1009_22-6202226.htmlhttp://www.zdnetasia.com/news/internet/0,39044908,62030872,00.htmhttp://infoshop.org/inews/article.php?story=20070815075049590nz: NZ Should Follow Australia?s Internet Lead [news release]
Family First NZ is calling on the government to follow the lead of the Australian government and ?clean up the internet? for NZ families.
http://scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00155.htmAustralian
Political Leaders Turn to God to Boost Votes
... Howard used his address to announce plans to give families computer filters to stop Internet pornography, while Rudd promised to have family impact statements on all policies brought before his cabinet if he is elected to power.
http://www.christiantoday.com/article/australian.political.leaders.turn.to.god.to.boost.votes/12212.htmhttp://gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=166036&version=1http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070814-australia-to-spend-189-million-on-anti-porn-initiative.htmlIIA welcomes Howard's $189 million Internet plan
The IIA's CEO Peter Coroneos has welcomed the Federal Government's plan to protect Australians online following prime minister John Howard's recent announcement of an $189 million plan to improve Internet safety by using filtering services to ISPs and providing free software for home use.
http://linuxworld.com.au/index.php/id;1319628596;fp;2;fpid;1Filtering the Internet
John Howard?s announcement of a $189 million Internet filter program must be challenged on a range of grounds. Is it an appropriate role for government? Will we be getting value for
money? Is it practicable? Who will control the regulators?
http://onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=6254Australien startet Kampagne gegen Internet-Pornografie
Australiens Premierminister John Howard hat eine von den Koalitionsparteien vorgeschlagene Kampagne gegen Internet-Pornografie angekündigt. Das Projekt wird unter der Schirmherrschaft von Australiens Gremium für Internet-Sicherheit Netalert durchgeführt und voraussichtlich 160 Millionen Dollar kosten.
http://www.zdnet.de/news/tkomm/0,39023151,39157033,00.htmnz: Majority of youth use Internet without conflict [news release]
A longitudinal study of New Zealand adolescents shows that 66 percent of 10-14 year old internet users do not demonstrate negative behaviour related to
bullying in school, fighting with friends, family conflict and negative peer influence.
http://scoop.co.nz/stories/ED0708/S00046.htmus: Child pornography laws that relate to the internet in the USA
In order to protect minors from sexual and other violent crimes, to prevent child pornography, and to make the Internet safer for minors, the United States has enacted several laws such as the Child Online Protection Act (COPA), the Child Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and the Child Internet Protection Act (CIPA). The main objective of these laws is to limit the availability of pornography and other material which is harmful to minors.
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=articles&id=0A90AFB5-688C-422D-8F8B-637355DD1FFEus: National Cyber Security Alliance Calls on States and School Districts to Teach Internet Safety and Security in Schools [news release]
The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), with support from companies including CA, McAfee, Microsoft, and Symantec, as well as education organizations such as the Consortium of School Networking and, State Education Technology Directors Association called upon state leaders across the United States to work with their states' education leaders to ensure cyber security, safety and ethics lessons are integrated in every classroom.
http://staysafeonline.org/news/teachinternetsafetyinschools.html**********************
SOCIAL NETWORKING
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Second Life's Real-World Problems
... Every business has its growing pains. But as companies explore why their expensive virtual outposts remain largely empty, Second Life has other, potentially more serious, issues. Governments are scrutinizing the four-year-old site as a possible haven for tax-free commerce, child-porn distribution and other unsavory activity. The dilemma for Linden Lab, the company running Second Life, is how to rein in its creation without alienating hard-core users. Fans love the site as a way to meet people and experiment in self-_expression_. And companies are drawn to these techno-savvy trendsetters who spent 22 million hours on the site last month. But some devotees are so upset by increasing
commercialization that a group called the Second Life Liberation Army last year gunned down virtual shoppers at American Apparel. So-called griefing, or on-site harassment, is on the rise. Says Gartner research chief Steve Prentice: "Second Life is moving into a phase of disillusionment."
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1651500,00.htmlFacebook source code 'leaked' on internet
Security at the social networking site has been questioned after part of its source code was published on a blog
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article2252057.eceDo Video Games Promote Violence And Paedophilia?
In a popular internet role-playing game called "Second Life", people can
create a virtual identity for themselves, choosing such things as their age, sex, and appearance. These virtual characters then do things that people in the real world do, such as having sex.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200708130421.htmluk: Mobile operators see 10 times more potential in social networking
The success of social networking sites such as Facebook, Bebo and even YouTube could represent the next boom for the mobile phone operators. Revenues from putting so-called user-generated content - meaning content such as videos and blogs created by consumers rather than media organisations - onto mobile phones is expected to rise more than tenfold over the next five years, according to estimates by Juniper Research published yesterday.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2007/aug/14/socialnetworking.newsMillions of Facebook users ?leave themselves open to identity theft?
Millions of members of the social networking site Facebook are allowing strangers access to their personal information, making them vulnerable to identity theft on the internet. Researchers found that two in five Facebook users happily divulged details such as their date of birth, phone number and workplace to people whom they have never met.
http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/the_web/article2253720.ecehttp://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4167082a28.htmlhttp://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/15/1186857573678.htmlMany Facebook users expose all to strangers
Many Facebook users are happy to give up access to their personal profile to strangers. In a random survey of Facebook users, 41 per cent were happy to divulge personal information - such as email address, phone number, and date of birth - by agreeing to accept a complete stranger as a friend.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/14/facebook_user_survey/http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62030847,00.htmStudent reprimands Facebook for bad manners and exposed code
A recent college grad is taking credit for the disclosure
of Facebook's proprietary source code in an episode that demonstrates just how porous Web 2.0 technology can be.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/14/new_facebook_code_leak/Avoid the fraud trap on internet
In the Middle East, at least two companies have been formed to develop social networking communities specifically for Arabs, with the aim of capturing Arab cultural sensibilities and perspectives. This can only be a positive step as the region needs more representation in cyberspace. But online users must be careful of posting too much personal information, not only for obvious reasons such as fraud and identity theft, but also because social networks are essentially businesses and will use the information for their own gain.
http://gulf-news.com/opinion/editorial_opinion/nation/10146884.htmlIck, old married guys on Facebook
Maybe the older crowd has good reasons for using social-networking sites, but CNET News.com intern Sabena Suri can't quite imagine what they'd be.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6202499.htmlhttp://news.com.com/2010-1025_3-6202499.htmlAustralian fetus a Facebook Internet star [Reuters]
Bubba Waring has not even been born yet and he, or she, has its own Web space with cyber "friends" clamoring to get acquainted.
http://news.com.com/2100-1026_3-6202748.htmlhttp://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/15/facebook_star/http://stuff.co.nz/stuff/4167078a28.html**************************
ONLINE CRIME, SECURITY & LEGAL
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Internet 'the new Afghanistan': NY police chief [Reuters]
The internet is the new battleground against Islamist extremism because it provides ideology that could radicalise Westerners who might then initiate home-grown attacks, New York police chief Raymond Kelly says.
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/16/2006436.htmhttp://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/2/story.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10458058http://stuff.co.nz/4166873a28.htmlhttp://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6202801.htmlhttp://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6202801.htmlus: David Takes Goliath to Court in Nude Images Copyright Battle
A publisher of nude model photography is suing Microsoft for linking to images of its content that have been published without permission by other Web sites. MSN's image search feature links to thumbnails of Perfect 10's content that users can then click on to view in full-size versions, according to the complaint. Microsoft is
not only infringing Perfect 10's intellectual property rights with its MSN search engine, but also making money on the activity, the complaint alleges.
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/58786.htmlIT security: Too big for government
Information technology security and information assurance are becoming too critical, too big and too complex a problem for the government to handle by itself, according to two security experts. But they disagree on how well government and industry are responding to the need for greater cooperation to improve cybersecurity.
... But Richard Clarke, former U.S. counterterrorism czar, said effective leadership could have accomplished much more by now. Service providers could be filtering malware before it hits the local-area network and end user, he said. There could be better and more encryption, a secure Domain Name System and
a parallel network structure to provide priority service during emergencies.
However, there are bright spots. Companies are beginning to reduce the scope of vulnerabilities in their software and IPv6 is slowly moving forward, especially in Asia. But Clarke is not optimistic about the government?s ability to make use of the new version of IP, which is supposed to be enabled on agencies? backbone networks by next June.
http://www.gcn.com/print/26_21/44843-1.htmlau: Online scammers target car buyers
The NSW Fraud Squad is warning online car buyers to look out for a fast-growing scam that has seen numerous car shoppers ripped off thousands of dollars each.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/14/1186857494177.htmlCustomers vote with
feet over security: survey
Users of online banking services are willing to change banks if competitors offer better security options, according to a new Datamonitor survey.
http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/security/soa/Customers-vote-with-feet-over-security-survey/0,130061744,339281185,00.htm**************************
PRIVACY
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nz: CONFERENCE - ?Privacy and Technology in the 21st Century? [Wellington: 28 August]
A free forum in Wellington on 28 August, as part of Privacy Awareness Week.
http://privacy.org.nz/library/privacy-and-technology-in-the-21st-centuryhttp://scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0708/S00214.htm [news release]EDITORIAL: Too down to earth
Google's decision to dispatch vans across major US cities to take street-level photographs for its mapping service has opened up fresh controversy about the limits of privacy in the digital age. ... There is nothing illegal being done, but at any moment there are enough people on the streets doing something they don't want others to see, possibly on the other side of a window, to generate complaints. ... Privacy groups are right to be concerned about potential abuses, but at the moment hardly anyone seems worried. Instead of Big Brother being thrust upon us, we have voted him in.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,,2147399,00.htmlHonesty the best online policy
Regular BBC
columnist Bill Thompson says firms should tell customers when their computer security has been breached.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6944435.stmCNET reporters sue HP for invasion of privacy
The fallout from Hewlett-Packard's boardroom leak scandal continued Wednesday as three CNET News.com reporters sued the computer maker, alleging that its investigation tactics amounted to an invasion of privacy and a violation of state rules on business practices.
http://news.com.com/2100-1014_3-6202836.html**************************
GOVERNMENT & PUBLIC POLICY
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German antihacker law could backfire, critics warn
Germany's new antihacker law could open the door to more cybercrime and not less, security experts warn.
The law, which the German government approved in May and put into effect on Saturday, aims to crack down on the sharp rise in attacks on computers in the public and private sectors.
http://www.infoworld.com/article/07/08/13/German-antihacker-law_1.htmlGermany's new antihacking law: Bad for security?
As of Saturday, it is a crime in Germany to build, sell, distribute or obtain so-called "hacking tools" designed to allow access to protected data or promote other illegal acts. The intention of the lawmakers, who proposed the item last year and passed it in late May, was to crack down on attacks on government and private-sector computer systems. Penalties include prison sentences of up to 10 years and fines.
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62030801,00.htmUK government agency to monitor blogs
The COI, the UK government?s communications agency, is working on a way to monitor what people say about policy on blogs and internet forums for the media briefings it sends to ministers.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/9c89d762-4a5e-11dc-95b5-0000779fd2ac.htmlus: Nation's Soul Is at Stake in NSA Surveillance Case
The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco is hearing arguments on two of the most important cases in decades dealing with the rule of law and personal privacy. The cases are Hepting v. AT&T and Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation v. Bush. At stake is whether the government can immunize itself from public oversight and
prosecution for illegal activities by claiming that whatever actions it took were done in the name of national security. These cases will also influence whether the government is entitled to warehouse citizen phone calls and e-mails for subsequent unsupervised searching and data mining.
http://www.wired.com/politics/law/commentary/circuitcourt/2007/08/circuitcourt_0815Tough New German Anti?Hacking Law Threatens 10 Years in Prison
Hackers in Germany should be very careful to cover their tracks after the Bundestag passed a law in May 2007 that makes such computer activities a punishable crime. Even more eye-opening is the potential decade long sentence they could receive in prison. This legislation was proposed by the Government last year and meant to crack down on the spike in computer crimes and assaults in both
the public and private sectors. This law also comes on top of a comprehensive penal code barring attacks on IT systems, and the new legislation is designed to cinch up any remaining loopholes. But Internet rights groups, civil libertarians and friendly hackers are all up in arms, as fear spreads that this new law will be used by the Government itself, ironically to justify hacking into private person's computers to examine the contents in the name of fighting terrorism.
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=latestnews&id=1830**********************
INTERNET USE
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Always online? Beware of Internet addiction disorder
As many as 10 percent of Internet surfers are pathologically addicted to the Web, and although it can disrupt their lives, many doctors and mental health
practitioners are unaware of the dangers, according to an article by psychiatrists at the Be'er Ya'acov Mental Health Center and Tel Aviv University. Writing in the latest issue of Harefuah, the Hebrew-langauge journal of the Israel Medical Association, Drs. Pinhas Dannon and Iulian Iancu note that Internet addiction is very similar to other addictions, such as pathological gambling, kleptomania (the uncontrollable urge to steal objects), trichotillomania (pulling out one's one hair), sex addiction and pyromania (the urge to set and watch fires).
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1186557410283&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFullInternet Activity Index
The Internet Activity Index (IAI) provides a new way of looking at consumer engagement online, dividing Internet usage into four
distinct activities: content, communications, commerce and search, which are defined. As the Internet has evolved, it has become increasingly clear that each of these areas has a distinctly different business model associated with it, leading to a natural and healthy segmentation of the marketplace. By tracking share of time spent on each activity, the Index provides a benchmark for charting the relative impact of changing market dynamics on these segments as the medium matures.
http://online-publishers.org/?pg=activityE-mail stress keeps workers on edge of inbox
British workers are suffering ?e-mail stress? because they are swamped with messages and constantly monitoring their inbox. Staff are left tired, frustrated and unproductive as they struggle to cope with a constant deluge of e-mails, researchers from Glasgow and Paisley universities have
found.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article2246434.eceHalf of Web time spent viewing content: study (Reuters)
Content online is king. Internet users spend nearly half their time online viewing news or entertainment content, surpassing activities such as sending e-mails, shopping or searching for information, according to a study released by the Online Publishers Association on Monday.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22242261-15306,00.htmlhttp://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=137&objectid=10457606http://uk.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUKN1335166120070813uk: Net firm warns on web video costs
Internet services providers, such as Tiscali, say that the raft of recently launched on-demand services will "undoubtedly" congest the network.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6944176.stmISPs hijack BBC in tiered services push
Cash-strapped ISPs have begun a campaign to use the launch of the BBC's iPlayer on demand service to squeeze more cash from web TV viewers.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/13/isp_bbc_iplayer_neutrality/Dr. Google and Dr. Microsoft
In politics, every serious candidate for the White House has a
health care plan. So too in business, where the two leading candidates for Web supremacy, Google and Microsoft, are working up their plans to improve health care in the United States. By combining better Internet search tools, the vast resources of the Web and online personal health records, both companies are betting they can enable people to make smarter choices about their health habits and medical care.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/14/technology/14healthnet.phphttp://nytimes.com/2007/08/14/technology/14healthnet.html**********************
NEW TECHNOLOGIES
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Tiny wind engines cool computers
Minuscule wind engines could help to take computing power to the next level, scientists believe. US
researchers have developed a prototype device that creates a "breeze" made up of charged particles, or ions, to cool computer chips.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6946042.stmSmart clothes to power your iPod or light your home ... just don't wash them
There was a time when all we expected from our clothes was to preserve our modesty, protect us from the elements and pull in a few curves. Not any more. If the Siggraph 2007 exhibition of future fashions in San Diego is anything to go by, your wardrobe will soon charge your iPod, convey hidden messages, light your home and act as a video game console. Get ready for clothes infused with electronic gadgets and computers that can help you in your daily life - or just give you a laugh.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2007/aug/13/sciencenews.newsWall Street hopes flotation of the 'new Google' will help battered stock market
A Californian technology company US investors are already dubbing "the new Google", VMware, will this week finalise the price of its shares in one of the US market's most eagerly awaited flotations since the dotcom boom.
http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2147481,00.htmlPaper battery offers future power
Flexible paper batteries could meet the energy demands of the next generation of gadgets, say researchers.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6945732.stmuk: Chaos theory - digital TV switchover
The
papers are full of doom-laden predictions about the switchover to digital TV, just as they once were over decimalisation, and chip and pin technology. But will it really be a disaster? If the history of big British changes teaches us anything, says Oliver Burkeman it's that we're remarkably adaptable when push comes to shove
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,2148805,00.htmlNZ High-speed supernet's growth 'slow'
It's been described as a "bullet train for new ideas", but a new report says development of KAREN, the super high-speed network linking universities and research institutions, could be stymied by a lack of funding and co-ordination between its members.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10457963Tech hotspot fires up NZ supercomputer
"You don't buy these things, they get offered to a select few," says the University of Canterbury's Professor Tim David, who is in charge of New Zealand's most powerful computer.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/section/story.cfm?c_id=5&objectid=10457960NZ ranks well behind leaders in IT competitiveness
New Zealand has been ranked 17th in a global study of IT competitiveness, well behind the leaders, the United States and Japan.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/F8E3600C14C3413ECC257338006D9AE6**********************
SPAM
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Unusual 'pump-and-dump' spam run continues
More spam made its way to in-boxes today touting a small Florida company first hit by a massive "pump-and-dump" scam last week. The company has denied any responsibility for the junk mail that drove up its stock price and said it will look at stockholder data in the hope that it can uncover who was behind the scheme.
http://computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9030469Spam spike from Chinese domains
There has been a significant rise in spam originating from Chinese domains, according to the latest
statistics from security vendor Symantec. In its report issued Monday, Symantec noted a sharp spike in spam messages containing URLs that use ".cn" ccTLD. During the month of July, the amount of spam rose from virtually zero to around 450 spam domains.
http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62030770,00.htm**********************
DIGITAL DIVIDE
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in: IT classes raise the status of Untouchables
It took only six and a half months to dismantle the social conditioning of 3,000 years. Last October, Professor S. Sadagopan took 89 students from India?s lowest castes ? those once known as the Untouchables ? and began an experiment designed to catapult them into the business elite.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2246476.ece**********************
FILE SHARING
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us: YouTube Seeks Truthy Moment of Zen With Stewart, Colbert Deps
Google's YouTube is seeking to depose high-profile comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert as part of its defense of a $1 billion copyright infringement suit filed by Viacom, parent company of the Comedy Central network where they serve up their fake news and political digs.
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/58832.htmlhttp://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201800171http://www.salon.com/tech/machinist/blog/2007/08/14/colbert_youtube/index.htmlus: YouTube Seeks to Depose Stewart, Colbert (AP)
YouTube wants to question Comedy Central comedians Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert as part of its defense against claims that the online video-sharing site illegally shows snippets of sports and entertainment videos.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/15/1186857540379.htmlhttp://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/Y/YOUTUBE_STEWART_COLBERT?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2007-08-14-21-57-50iPlayer
Politics: Behind the ISPs vs BBC row
Analysis: ISPs including Tiscali and Carphone Warehouse reportedly want the BBC to help pay for bandwidth incurred by usage of its iPlayer. But what's the real power play?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/14/bbc_iplayer_isp_analysis/P2P: Boon, Boondoggle, or Bandwidth Hog?
Depending on whom you ask, peer-to-peer (P2P) services may be the best thing that ever happened to the Internet or a diabolical arbitrage scheme which will ruin all ISPs and bring an end to the Internet as we think we know it. Some famous P2P services include ICQ, Skype, Napster, and BitTorrent. Currently a new P2P service called iPlayer from BBC is causing some consternation and eliciting some threatening growls from British ISPs.
http://www.circleid.com/posts/070815_p2p_boon_boondoggle_bandwidth/Singapore court orders Internet company to reveal customers who illegally download videos
A Singapore video distributor said Tuesday it has won a suit against an Internet service provider asking for the identities of customers alleged to have downloaded popular Japanese animated cartoons.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/15/1186857523861.htmlru: Court rejects allofmp3.com case
A Moscow court has thrown out a case against the former head of music download site allofmp3.com and rejected the damages claims made by three major recording labels.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22254270-15306,00.htmlRussian Judge Tosses Music Piracy Case Overboard
A Moscow court threw out a case against the former head of music downloading site allofmp3.com and rejected the damages claims made by three major recording labels, a music industry official said Wednesday. Allofmp3.com, which was closed in late June but reopened later under a similar rubric, has been cast as the epitome of Russia's shoddy copyright enforcement and repeatedly held up by U.S. trade negotiators as imperiling Moscow's bid to join the World Trade Organization.
http://ecommercetimes.com/story/58846.htmlRussian court acquits music site owner [Reuters]
A Russian court on Wednesday acquitted the former boss of music download
Web site Allofmp3.com of breaching copyright in a case seen as a key test of Russia's commitment to fighting piracy.
http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6202717.htmlhttp://news.com.com/2100-1030_3-6202717.htmlhttp://iht.com/articles/2007/08/15/business/mp3.phpRussian court acquits music download site owner [AFP]
The former owner of Russian music download website allofmp3.com, which drew US ire for allowing cut-rate downloads of Western pop music, was acquitted on intellectual piracy charges Wednesday.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/16/1186857608559.html*********************************
COMMENT, MICROSOFT & DEVELOPMENTS
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Going green a ?social responsibility? beyond hardware recycling
ICT is going green, with many hardware makers in particular advertising their ?green? practices. Prominent features of this new green approach to ICT include lower power consumption as well as more thoughtful designs of both hardware and cabinetry, so hardware can be more easily disposed of or recycled.
http://computerworld.co.nz/news.nsf/news/315792B807BB5272CC257338006D6A3CGoogle, in an experiment, gives names in the news a way to respond
The Internet offers immediate access to articles about
every breaking news event anywhere in the world. But no one in the media business has quite figured out how to exploit that revolutionary fact.
http://iht.com/articles/2007/08/13/business/google.phpIs Yahoo the most "satisfying" search engine of all?
The American Customer Satisfaction Index project seeks to measure an elusive thing -- how "satisfied" are we with the companies that rule our lives? Google has dominated the ratings for a long while. The ACSI asks people to measure companies across a range of factors, and then it compiles the results into a 100-points scale; in 2002, Google's first year in the survey, the company won 80 points -- and since then, until now, it's hovered above that very fine mark. As Greg Sterling points out in Search Engine Land, though, in the latest ACSI survey Google posted only a 78, and for the first time its
rival Yahoo outranked it, winning 79 points.
http://www.salon.com/tech/machinist/blog/2007/08/14/satisfaction_search_engine/index.htmlYahoo Surpasses Google In Customer Satisfaction Survey
Diminishing satisfaction with Google may be the result of Google's failure to communicate effectively about changes to its services, analysts suggest.
http://informationweek.com/news/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201800197http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,135908/article.htmlGoogle Goes After Microsoft Again
Google has taken yet another step toward challenging Microsoft?s domination in word
processing, spreadsheets and other productivity software. Over the weekend, Google began offering free downloads of Sun Microsystems? StarOffice, a productivity suite that competes with Microsoft Office, one of the software giant?s cash cows.
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/google-goes-after-microsoft-again/StarOffice now part of Google's plan
TWO years after announcing a software partnership, Google and Sun have joined for a new attack on Microsoft's Office suite.
http://www.australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,22254018-15306,00.htmlus: How many trees did your iPhone bill kill?
Early adopters of Apple's iPhone are getting their first service bills from AT&T (ATT) ? and some
customers say they are so detailed they belong in libraries.
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/wireless/phones/2007-08-14-iphone-bill_N.htm**********************
MOBILE/WIRELESS
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us: Google wins first battle for open wireless spectrum
Google looks likely to enter the US wireless market after the Federal Communications Commission bowed to pressure to change the way it plans to sell off part of the airwaves this year. The Californian dotcom group is part of a consortium called the Coalition for 4G in America that is pushing for a portion of the US wireless spectrum, to be auctioned off in November, to be made available for "open access".
http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,2148167,00.html**********************
VoIP
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The Lasting Effects Of A VoIP Outage
... TeleBlend is the latest example of a VoIP provider that's still feeling the impact of its outage. On Aug. 8, TeleBlend experienced a disruption of its broadband phone service. TeleBlend's initial public statements implied the outage was due to an issue with Global Crossing, a provider of a worldwide IP-based network for voice, video, and data communications. But later statements dismissed the claim.
http://informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=201800305Classification of VoIP services in the USA
This summary addresses the issue of whether VoIP is subject to common carrier
obligations as a telecommunications service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act or whether VoIP is largely free from federal regulation as an information service under Title I. The United States Congress has passed several regulatory acts to prevent states from exercising regulatory authority over new Internet services, thereby giving the Federal Communications Commission (?FCC?) jurisdiction over Voice over Internet Protocol (?VoIP?) services. Pursuant to such expanded authority over VoIP services, the FCC it has issued several declaratory rulings on VoIP services and has made several reports on the classification of different varieties of VoIP services to Congress. The most important regulatory issue is whether the FCC should classify VoIP as an "information service," a "telecommunications service" or as a hybrid of the two categories.
http://www.ibls.com/internet_law_news_portal_view.aspx?s=articles&id=D2722310-EAFF-4D7D-8D69-1A655ABC25CF**********************************
ARRESTS/COURT CASES FOR CHILD PORN
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us: Self-Described Pedophile Is Arrested Twice
A self-described pedophile who had bragged publicly that he had never been arrested was taken into custody twice this week on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, the authorities said Tuesday.
http://nytimes.com/2007/08/15/us/15pedophile.htmluk: Paedophile campaigner jailed over child images
A paedophile who campaigned for the age of consent to be lowered was today jailed after a collection of hardcore child pornography was
found at his home. David Arthur Joy, 66, was a member of the Paedophile Information Exchange (PIE), an international organisation which believed that children were sexual beings in their own right.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/crime/article/0,,2147883,00.htmlau: Man charged with possessing child porn [AAP]
A 40-year-old man has been charged with more than 40 counts of possessing child pornography, after police seized computer equipment on the NSW South Coast.
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/08/16/1186857646972.html+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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For information on subscriptions to the domain name and/or general internet news please contact me. For archives of postings to the list, see http://lists.technewsreview.com.au/pipermail/technewsreview/. Also see http://technewsreview.com.au/ for recent updates.Sources include Quicklinks <http://qlinks.net/> and BNA Internet Law News <http://www.bna.com/ilaw/>.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
(c) David Goldstein 2007
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David Goldstein
address: 4/3 Abbott Street
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AUSTRALIA
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"Every time you use fossil fuels, you're adding to the problem. Every time you forgo fossil fuels, you're being part of the solution" - Dr Tim Flannery
